Fads, gimmicks, hype and Game changers

I felt the same way during the last administration when EVERYTHING was unprecedented. I don't think they teach journalist vocabulary anymore as they don't know what words mean nor how to use them properly.

I love to get old gun magazines to read when possible. All the "great" ideas from last year or decade which died, but at the time were being pimped hard like many of the things above which will go away. Was the Hudson 9mm pistol a game changer?!? I'm sure it changed the game of people who last their money on one.

All the time at work when people start to push "cutting edge, next gen stuff" I point out the Popular Mechanics magazines from the 50's that told me I would have a reactor in my basement so we all have unlimited clean/free energy as well as a flying car..............

Where are the "Block Chain" pistols, or has that fad peaked?

I believe what Norm Chomsky claims about the purpose of advertising, that is advertising creates uninformed consumers who make irrational decisions.

Noam Chomsky - Created Wants



Remember when the H bomb sold razors?



In spite of the images of jolly pipe smokers, you know this had to be bad: Did you notice that the Irishman and Scotsman are on opposite sides of the line up?

Those are catch phrases to get your attention. Nothing new here. Similar phrases have been used forever. With virtually every product. Cars and trucks are worse than firearms. Google old advertisement signs sometime. Manufacturers and advertisers were doing the same thing in the 1800's.

And you never know if something is going to be a fad or game changer for years. Some things take time to sort them selves out. Some ideas are ahead of their times. The 270 Win has become one of the top rifle cartridges of all time. But sales languished for 25-30 years and it was almost dropped from production due to lack of sales. Part of that was due to the lack of decent optics and bullets in 1925 when it was introduced. A flat shooting long range cartridge was wasted with iron sights and round nose bullets. Having WW-2 between 1941 and 1945 didn't help. But by the 1950's optics were much better and more acceptable and better bullets were available.

Sounds like "game changer" took over where "revolutionary" left off. What ever it takes to get people to click and read.

The simple truth is firearms technology is stagnant compared to other industries. New looks and maybe new materials is all your going to get.

Oh yeah, and useless new cartridges of course. I do like 450 Bushmaster but that was only because laws changed. Plus, 450 BM is ancient by the cartridge standards of today.

Many of my guns are older than me and I am not missing anything for it. Some of the “newer” things I like are stainless steel construction of my harder used hunting guns. Stainless is a “game changer” in the hot humid South....to me at least. Or some other highly corrosion resistant finish.

I’m still playing the same old game, stuck somewhere in the bottom of the seventh my newest handgun was bought 2 years ago a Shield9 1.0, that’s new for me.

I loved the M17 hype that going from a 15+1 9mm pistol to a 17+1 9mm pistol was a "game changer".

One of my favorite catch phrases is "New and Improved"! So what does that make your previous product: "Old and Ineffective"?

I also remember when on the cover of "Combat Handguns" they use to call every new gun that came out "The Greatest"!

With guns, “ultimate “ was popular for various guns, rounds etc.

Fake news , anyone?

One of the most interesting classes I took in college was an advertising class I took as an elective. Had nothing to do with my major, but was really fascinating how companies use words and phrasing that have no real meaning but sound great to consumers. The professor called them “weasel words.” The class took a critical look at advertising, wasn’t a “how to” class.

There is nothing new under the sun. I too, took a class on advertising, a psychology class. Highly informative.

I dunno ... Here's what I consider a true "game-changer:"


In all seriousness, though, I abhor the term and the rest of the faddish descriptions used in marketing any product these days ...

Painting something black & calling it tactical.

ALL promotional advertisements are, in some way or form, presenting their products or services as "game changers".

'Tis the nature of the beast!

Ian's last Q & A sort of touched on this. We are in a bit of a "plateau" in firearms development. Which means that any potential product change is likely only going to be minuscule changes from "the previous art" to use the patent language term of art.

Almost all non-blowback self-loading pistols use some form of Browning tilt-bolt locking system. (There are some outliers with rotating features or gas operation or the like, but they are just that, outliers.)

In self-loading rifles, the market is equally "flat" in new technologies.

Which means if you are trying to market some new product, you (your marketing department, more to the point) are going to have to try and magnify any new thing, no matter how tiny or insignificant. So, your ad copy is going to be chock full of much-abused catch phrases and buzzwords in current marketing use.

Consider this a different way. Suppose you have a $400 AR platform you want to sell. What would you do to make that stand out from all the other $400 ARs on the market? Custom finish? Bread slicer? Bottle opener? Which one actually matters enough to a shooter? How do you "sell" that feature? How do you make it look like there is more than just the one feature (so you avoid the "Why should I bother?" issue)?

Similar issue in handguns. You are selling a polymer-framed striker-fired 9x19, why should I buy your brand-new, unproven version or any of a half-dozen others already on the market? So, enter buzzwords and (almost) made-up features.

And on the other hand, the old stuff is "iconic."

Wait!.......what?
...its complicated!

What a thread!

Really thinking outside the box, THIS...... CHANGES..... EVERYTHING!

I don't need to tell you that it goes without saying that .40 will FOREVER end the .45/9mm debate and .45 GAP will finally win the 1911 hold-outs over to Glock.

When better ideas are thought of - WE will think of them like making EVERYTHING a *short magnum* and plus P-ing our P+PP+++P.

Don't mind me. I'll just be over here with my reverse-wadcutter .38 Spl -P, SD rounds.

And keep yer damn kids offa my lawn!

Falls right up there with under $10, $9.99